Closure fears for high street chain with 140 UK stores as staff 'owed thousands'

Fears are mounting over the future of high street pharmacy chain Jhoots Pharmacies, which operates more than 140 branches across the UK, after staff claimed they are owed hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid wages.

The chain, run by Sarbjit Jhooty, is under fire following allegations from the Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) that locum pharmacists, freelance workers who provide short-term cover, are owed as much as £670,000 in overdue payments. Reports also suggest that permanent staff have gone weeks without pay, leaving some struggling to pay bills.

Branches across the country are said to be affected, with a string of sudden closures adding to concerns. On the Isle of Wight, four out of five branches have been shut in recent days.

In North Devon, some pharmacies have reportedly not received stock for seven weeks, leaving locals without vital services.

One worker told North Devon Today: "I am having to sit in a closed empty pharmacy as I have been told if I don't turn up for work I will be dismissed for breach of contract, even though I haven't been paid my July wages."

Another admitted they were now struggling to cover household bills despite working all of their shifts, while others described branches left without a pharmacist on duty for months.

Similar reports have emerged from Bristol and Somerset, where pharmacies have been closed for weeks citing staff shortages.

The scandal has drawn the attention of MP Sadik Al Hassan, himself a former pharmacist, who described the situation as "shocking".

He has called on Jhoots to relinquish its NHS contracts. He said: "In 2023, Jhoots bought another 40-odd pharmacies that were closing.

"They were allowed to do that despite their history of poor abilities to open their pharmacy or contract compliance. This level of contract management puts the entire reputation of pharmacy at risk, to allow an operator like this to continue."

Al Hassan has pledged to meet with Jhoots Pharmacies later this month to seek answers, while also urging the NHS to intervene to ensure patients are not left without access to vital medicines.

Daily Express has approached Jhoots Pharmacy for comment.